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Guzin Najim's The Promise
- Narrated by: Lise Rodgers
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
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Guzin Najim's The Promise
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Editor reviews
At the unexpected beginning of the Iraq War, Guzin Najim's diplomat husband Ra'ad Said was terrorized and then killed by his own government. But before he died, Said made Najim promise to escape Iraq with the couple's children; The Promise is the story of her escape. Written by Australian journalist Sandra Lee and narrated in a sensitive, nuanced performance from renowned audiobook actor Lise Rodgers, the story traces Najim's courageous fight to make it out of the country, from her house arrest to her daring, overnight escape, and the four years of flight that ended in safety in Sydney. Terrifying, awe-inspiring, and completely true, Najim's tale is an unforgettable and deeply affecting listen.
Summary
When Guzin Najim met Ra'ad Said at university in Baghdad, she knew she had found the love of her life. After a traditional Iraqi wedding, their world became the international diplomatic circuit. The arrival of their two children, Lina and Mohammed, made their happiness complete. But then Saddam Hussein came to power and their world changed.
On the eve of the first Gulf War, Ra'ad was recalled to Iraq and sent to work at the Foreign Ministry in Baghdad. One day his limp body was dragged from a government car by two of Saddam's henchmen. He was burning with fever, his eyes bloodshot. As he gasped for air, tears streaming down his face, he made Guzin promise to take their children out of Iraq and never return. Four days later, Ra'ad was dead, murdered by the brutal regime he was forced to serve.
Only Guzin's love for her children gave her the strength to face what was to come. Placed under house arrest, the family endured a relentless campaign of terror, until a chance at freedom came and they fled across the desert in a daring overnight escape. Guzin stepped off the plane in Sydney knowing that risking everything had been worth it: and her promise to Ra'ad would be honored.